Draw an ear with three lines
I can't count how many times over the years I've heard people say that human ears are really complicated and super hard to draw. And they are pretty weird looking things. All the curves and planes can be especially challenging when viewed from certain angles (The one that gets me every time is when you're mostly seeing an ear from behind. Like man, what is that weird flappy bastard).
Anyway. In most of the art I see on Tumblr, ears are drawn from the side (when your faves are smooching, am I right?), at a three-quarters angle, or from the front. Front views can vary a lot depending on how much someone's ears stick out from their head, but side views are more or less the same across the board.
Sooo, I wanted to share a really simple formula of sorts for drawing ears from the side. And if you want to depict an ear from a different angle, I think these basic lines can still be useful—along with photo references, a mirror, or selfie mode on your phone.
Here ya go:
It doesn't matter in what order you draw the lines, but I recommend doing the outermost one first. And from those three simple lines, you can work out a rough sketch with some suggestions of depth and shading:
Of course, some people's earlobes attach differently, so you don't get the little curl at the bottom, and there's infinite variation in the specific shapes, but that's the gist.
I hope it's helpful! If anyone tries it out, tag me so I can see :)
